University of Tennessee Athletics
North's Spectacular Plays Pay Off
September 06, 2014 | Football
By Brian Rice KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
UTSports.com
North changed that on Saturday with a pair of touchdowns against Arkansas State, two plays that changed the momentum of the game and sewed up the victory for the Volunteers.
Head coach Butch Jones credited North and the receiving corps for getting the Vol offense in gear.
"I thought Marquez North really sparked us and really made some big plays," Jones said. "I thought our receivers, particularly in the first half, really played the ball well in the air; they came down and made some great plays."
The plays that North made on the touchdowns were pretty run-of-the-mill for the sophomore. That is, they were made in his usual spectacular fashion.
The first came early in the second quarter with Tennessee holding a 10-6 lead. Facing 3rd-and-goal at the 10 yard line, Justin Worley threw a fade to the corner of the end zone where North went to the air to take the ball away from the defender for the second touchdown of his career.
"Marquez has done a great job in fall practice and throughout camp and dating back to the spring as well of going up and getting balls in the end zone," Worley said. "It was good to see that transition from the practice field to the game field. He had an opportunity to go up and make a play, and he did."
His second TD catch of the was even more impressive than his first. With Tennessee holing a 24-12 lead in the third quarter, Worley placed the ball high again in the corner of the end zone, where North made the catch in the midst of a complete 360 in mid-air before tapping down a foot in bounds to extend the Vol lead to three scores at 31-12.
"During training camp, we pushed for going deep a lot. I made a lot of big plays in training camp. There is also chemistry off the field. We are really close. It is trust and chemistry overall."
North finished the game with four catches for 68 yards, part of a 247-yard day through the air for Worley and the Tennessee offense. Worley completed passes to nine different receivers, spreading the ball around effectively, just as he did in the Vols' season opener against Utah State.
"I think they've proven themselves in practice, and we have more chemistry now as well. That builds my faith in them," Worley said of the receivers. "As I've said, they've done a great job of going up and getting balls in practice. I'm a little more inclined to give them an opportunity."
